Assessment of the effect of classic sports massage on the reduction of delayed onset muscle soreness in the rectus abdominis

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of classic massage on the reduction of post-exercise pain in the rectus abdominis muscle. Twenty-eight people between 20 and 43 years of age (mean age 27.4) were qualified for the study. There were nine women and six men in Group 1 (experimental) and six women and seven men in Group 2 (control). All participants of the study qualified after in the initial interview they performed sit-ups, according to the guidelines of the International Physical Fitness Test. Group 1 was subjected to the convergence of classical sports massage (3 treatments). The heart rate, the VAS scale and thermographic imaging were used to assess the effect of training. In both groups, the pain they experienced increased in the following days, reaching its peak after 48 hours, and then decreased, but a significant difference in pain intensity was observed between the results of Group 1 and 2 in the last measurement, in favour of Group 1 subjected to massage treatment. The massage accelerated regeneration and increased the efficiency of the examined muscles. Therefore, it can be an effective procedure to support post-exercise recovery, especially for athletes during the competitive period when they are subjected to maximum effort with insufficient rest.